


An Indulgent Father

by Penthesilea1623



Series: A Chance Encounter [1]
Category: Dragon Age
Genre: Alternate universe of All That Might Be, F/M, Prologue, what if Anabel had ended up with Anders?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 19:08:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1789960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penthesilea1623/pseuds/Penthesilea1623
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders and Hawke have a daughter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Indulgent Father

**Author's Note:**

> This came about when I was feeling bad about how miserable Anders is in the All That Might Be universe. At around the same time someone asked me if I ever considered having Anabel and Anders end up together. This is what resulted.
> 
> Originally posted on my tumblr, polished up a bit and posted here for Father's Day. 
> 
> This will be a prologue to an AU (to be titled "A Chance Encounter"), in which Anabel and Sebastian run into each five years after Anders blows up the Chantry. In that Universe at the beginning of Act 2 Anders lets Anabel help out with the mage underground and she doesn't go to the state dinner, and doesn't meet up with Sebastian until he asks for her help dealing with Lady Harimann. By the time that happens Anders and Anabel have already gotten together and he has moved into the mansion. 
> 
> This prologue takes place two to three years after they've fled Kirkwall at the end of Act III.

"KItty!"

Anders looked up with a smile from the elfroot he’d been cutting in the garden beside the small cottage that he shared with Hawke and their daughter. They’d named her Elin, after Nell Cousland, who had given them shelter after they’d fled the Free Marches, who’d found this cottage far out in the Bannorn where they would be safe from those who were still hunting Anders, determined to bring him to justice. 

"That’s right, sweetheart. That’s Lord Kittycat." The tabby was lying in grass near him, basking in the sunlight. He’d just appeared at their door one day, a half starved kitten. Hawke had insisted they take him in, saying it was high time Anders had another cat. 

"Want." Elin announced, toddling over to the tabby and grabbing at his tail. Lord Kittycat let out a low growl.

"That’s the thing about cats, love. It doesn’t so much matter what you want."

Elin just frowned at him, and Anders was hard pressed not to laugh. It was exactly his scowl. Everything about her was him. The golden hair, the brown eyes. There was barely a sign that Hawke was her mother — only that full upper lip, jutting out right now as she pouted. That was pure Hawke.

He hadn’t understood why Hawke hadn’t killed him that night in Kirkwall, not until they’d been on the ship that Isabela had somehow managed to procure, trying to make it to Ferelden, hoping desperately that Nell and Alistair would be willing to offer them shelter. 

He’d been standing at the railing, watching as the city got smaller. There was still smoke rising from the ruins of the Chantry, and other smaller fires throughout the city. 

Hawke had come up beside him, not speaking, just looking at the city that had been her home for seven years. She hadn't spoken to him since before the fight with Meredith, when to his surprise she'd agreed to stay with him. 

_Why?_ He’d asked. _Why let me live? Why agree to come with me?_

She’d turned to him, her blue-green eyes harder, older somehow than they'd been that morning, as if the last trace of girlishness had vanished. He had done that. She had looked at him for a minute, her face unreadable and then had reached out and taken his hand and placed it low on her abdomen. _Use your magic._ She’d said.

He’d stared down at where she’d placed his hand, and his heart had begun to pound. It couldn’t be. Grey Wardens were all but sterile. But he’d done as she’d said and sent out the briefest pulse of magic and immediately sensed it. Sensed her.

His daughter. 

He’d pulled his hand back and looked up at Hawke .

 _That’s why._ She’d told him simply. _This child will know its mage parent. I wasn’t about to take that away. Not from either of you._

A hiss roused him from his memories. “Elin.” He warned. “Leave Lord Kittycat alone. He doesn’t want to play.”

"Want." She insisted. She grabbed at the cat’s whiskers and he hissed again and lashed out, leaving a scratch on Elin’s nose, before tearing out of the garden.

Elin burst into tears and Anders was immediately there, picking her up, making soothing noises as her small arms went around his neck and she sobbed pathetically. “You’re all right, sweetheart.” He told her as he walked over to the bench by the cottage door and sat down.

"Bad kitty." She said with a hiccupping sob.

He disentangled her arms from around his neck and took a look. A small pink scratch just on the tip of her nose, not even requiring healing. “Kitty didn’t want to play." Anders told her. "He let you know that.”

She scowled up at him. “Justice.” She said firmly.

Anders rolled his eyes.

**The cat should be punished.**

_The cat was simply being a cat_ , Anders pointed out to the spirit.

"Justice!" Elin said louder.

**She wants me.**

_She wants someone who will tell her she was right, rather than reprimand her._ Anders told him. And Hawke had worried that he would be the one to spoil Elin. Neither of them had considered what Justice’s reaction to the child would be.

**She is my daughter as well.** Justice reminded him.

"Justice!" Elin demanded again.

Anders let out a resigned breath and let Justice take over.

**“I am here little one.”**

Elin pointed in the direction Lord Kittycat had fled. “Bad kitty. Bad kitty, scratch Elin."

Justice looked at the scratch. **"It is indeed an injustice. I will speak to the cat and let him know such behavior will not be tolerated."**

Elin put her baby hands on either side of his face and gave him a smacking and rather moist kiss on the mouth, before snuggling contentedly against him and falling asleep. 

Justice looked down at her. And humans took these small miracles for granted. 

He had warned Anders against Hawke. He had disapproved when two years after they’d returned from the Deep Roads, after Hawke had moved into her mansion and begun socializing with the elite of Hightown, Anders had thrown caution to the wind and let her come with him to help the Underground smuggle those mages out of the city. He’d argued when Anders had gone to her that night, and moved in with her shortly after. He had told him it was selfish. That loving this woman served no purpose.

Sitting on the bench in the sunlight, holding their daughter in his arms while they waited for Hawke to return from town, he was pleased to admit he had been wrong. 

**Author's Note:**

> Pictures and such relating to A Chance Encounter can be found on my tumblr: 
> 
> [A Chance Encounter photo/style references](http://penthesilea1623.tumblr.com/search/A+Chance+Encounter)


End file.
